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A home for everyone? Property ownership has been about status and wealth since our convict days

Citation

Wegman, I, A home for everyone? Property ownership has been about status and wealth since our convict days, The Conversation, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Australia, 12 September (2017) [Magazine Article]

Abstract

While Australia has an egalitarian mythology, where everyone has a chance, the roots of problems
with access to housing lie in our history. The first land grants were given to former convicts as a way
to control an unfenced prison colony. As free settlers arrived in Australia, priorities changed, land
ownership gained prestige, and smaller landholders were pushed out of the market.